But can't decide which one to buy...I read about how long the Miss Silvia takes long to heat. About how inconvenient the Lelit is to add water in the water tank...and the steam wand being to short. As for the Gaggia...bofbof...read it was finicky about the grind and the plastic steam wand.

Here is some more info : I drink lattes, my husband espressos. We rarely have to make more than 3 shots at a time. The machine is to be used every day, but no heavy use.Gaggia and Rancilio service is available if the machine breaks. Lelit service?..forget it. We already own a decent grinder

My budget is $750, PID included.

I had a breville roma espresso machine for 8 years until it broke, and worked in a coffee shop 10 years ago...i'm not a newbie to coffee, yet haven't owned a decent machine yet...

The steps in the virtuoso are pretty wide. I only recommend the preciso and up for espresso unless you are using the pressurized basket. Which is not the best thing to do but it allows you to get away with a less capable grinder.

The steps in the virtuoso are pretty wide. I only recommend the preciso and up for espresso unless you are using the pressurized basket. Which is not the best thing to do but it allows you to get away with a less capable grinder.

There may be better prices somewhere in Canada, but I need to have it shipped to Quebec. The Gaggia may be found at one retailer in Montreal, but the other machines are unavailable in Qc...It narrows down the options and the possiblity to shop for the best price...

Ebay may be an option and I buy alot from ebay sellers...but...how reliable it is to order espresso machines???

The Lelit poses the best value for the money. Mainly due to its PID, which is usually another $150-$250 add on for other machines. However, this machine is a little unproven still because it is relatively new. So far, I haven't heard anyone complaining about theirs.

The Rancilio machine is the best quality for the money, at least IMHO. I owned one of these machines, they're bulletproof. It seems like almost every member of these forums has owned one of these machines at one point in time or another and this is a tried and proven machine whose origin datesback to 1998, (If I recall properly) so any bugs were worked out a long time ago.

The Gaggia isn't a bad machine in its own right, but a lot of people who own these machines usually retrofit them with the Silvia's steam wand,which is a fairly inexpensive and easy swap. However, if you are buying this machine for the lower price, don't. You won't save any money overthe other two. (ie. The extra cost of a PID installation on the Silvia or the steam wand retrofit on the Gaggia.)

My advice would be, find someone in your area who sells and services the machines above and buy whichever machine they have in stock.

It seems to me that everyone seems to sell Rancilio machines, but I've never seen a Lelit machine on display in a retail shop, speaking from experience.You would probably have more avenues of support if you purchased the Silvia.

Anyway, good luck!

Garbage In, Garbage Out, for every step of the process. From Beans to grinder, grounds to machine, coffee to cup.

This seems to come up a lot as a concern but every espresso machine takes a long time to get completely up to temperature. A large mass of metal will not heat instantly no matter what the brand or model. If that's a problem then get a timer. You can't use warm up time as a shopping item to rule out certain machines. A long warm up time is generally desirable as it's a rough indicator of thermal stability. If your machine heats up instantly then its also going to cool instantly as cool water from the reservoir or line refills the boiler.

It's the same as buying anything on ebay. It all depends on the seller and sellers aren't all identical. A generalization about buying on ebay isn't going to mean anything. If you want the safety net of a warranty and support and a new item then buy from a reputable retailer. That said, some reputable retailers use ebay to sell off open box stock.

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